Binocular glass



(No Model.)

J. E. BRIGGS.

BINOGULAR GLASS.

No. 395,872. Patented Jan. 8, 1889.

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sure STATES FFlCE,

BINOCULAR GLASS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 395,872, dated January 8, 1889.

Application filed August 7, 1888. Serial No. 282,132. (No model.) 7

"0 a whom it may concerw Be it known that I, JAMES E. BRIGGS, of the city of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings,

State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Opera and other Binocular Glasses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference bein had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification.

M y improvement refers more particularly to that class of binocular glasses termed opera or field glasses, employed for observingobjects at a distance, in which there are two or more adjustable tubes or barrels containing the lenses, but applies equally well to all binocular glasses mounted in tubes or barrels; and it consists, essentially, in arranging the tubes of the glasses in frames similar to spectacle-frames, so that the glass is supported on the nose and by the head of the spectator, and kept in position before the eyes of the latter without the necessity of being held by the hand of the person using the same.

In the drawings illustrating my improvement, in which like letters indicate like parts, Figure 1 is a front view of an opera-glass mounted 011 aspectacle-frame according to my improvement Fig. 2 is a side view of the opera-glass shown in Fig. 1, a part of the outer tube being broken away to show the arrangement of the tubes; Fig. 3 is a view of an ordinary binocular magnifying-glass, as a watch-makers glass, niountedin tubes and attached to a framcaccordingto my improvement.

The use of the ordinary opera or field glass, which is frequently quite heavy, is attended with much discomfort and fatigue to the spectator, the glass must be held in position in front of the eyes by the hand, which soon results in tiring the arm, and where it is necessary to hold the glass in position a long time, which is often the case in determining objects at a distance with a heavy field or marine glass, the arm of the spectator becomes so tired that it is impossible to hold the glass as steady as is required to observe the object clearly.

My invention is intended to do away with this objection to the use of the opera and field glass, and to obviate the necessity of holding the glass by the hand, and supports the l glass on or by the head of the spectatorin the same manner as the ordinary spectacles or eyeglasses are supported, thus keeping the glass steadily in position before the eyes of I the person as long as may be necessary or is desired without tiring the arms, and at the same time leaving the hands of the spectator 1 free to be employed in any manner.

Figs. 1 and i of the drawings illustrate my improvement applied to an opera glass in which there are two tubes or barrels containing the usual object and eye glasses; but the principle of construction would be the same with a field or other similar glass having a greater number of lenses and tubes containing the same.

To adapt the ordinary opera and field glass to my improvement, I employ very powerful lenses arranged at short focus, in order that the tubes in which the lenses are mounted may be as short and small as possible, and that a very slight movement of one tube on the other is all that is required to adjust the glass to different focuses. These tubes A and B, Fig. 2, in which the usual objectand eye glass, E and F, are mounted, may be constructed of any suitable light material, and are preferably made in the form shown in the drawings, and of as small a diameter as the lenses used will permit. The tube A, c011- taining the object-glass, may slide over the inner tube, B, to adjust the glass to different i objects or different eyes in the usual manner; I or, as I prefer to construct the glass, the tubes I A and B may be provided with a fine screwthread, a and b, as shown in Fig. 2, bymeans of which the outer tube, A, is screwed onto the inner one when it is desired to adjust the glass. In this latter form of construction it is possible to adjust the glass much more easily and quickly than where the tubes slide over one another. The tubes A and B thus I constructed and containing the object and eye glasses E and F are mounted on or secured to the frame C D, Figs. 1 and 2, consisting of the nose-piece and side bars, in the same manner as the glasses of an ordinar 7 pair of spectacles, the tube B being attached to the frame so as to bring the eyeglasses F in lfront ot' the eyes ot the speotator. The nose-piece and side bars, 1].),maybe fastened directly to the tube B, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or may be attaolmd. to a ring, lt,whieh oneireles the tube. as shown in Fig. 23, and l'rom whieh the tjube,and oonse uontly the glass. may be easily removed, il'dosired. The

opera-glass tints mounted orsupportod on the tramo l) is put on and worn by the speotai tor in the same manner as the ordinary spootaeles, tho nose-pioeo resting," on the bridge of the nose, and the side bar, I), extending baok on eat-h side of the head and baeh ot' the ears in the usual manner. The opera or t'routolf the eyes by the head of thespeetator,

t'iold glass is thus supported in position in t l and may be worn as long as is neoessary or desired without fatigue and without the no eessity ot being held or touehod by the hands.

To adjust tho glasses to eyes of ditl'oront distaneo apart, the deyioo shown in l ies. l and 2, may beemployod. As there soon, small bars ll are seeured to the inner or op tosite sides of thetubos l; in lront ot' the nose-pieee and, moreover, on aeoount ot' the powerful lenses used, it would very seldom occur that t tho :uljustment for one eye would be suitable for the other; but, it? desired, the two tubes ol the glass may be adjusted toe-ether by the usual deyioe and in the same manner as in the Ul'tllllitl) opera or field glass.

In plaoo olf the eyeglasses .l! in the tubes l). pieoos ol' ordimtry non-magnitying glass may be used. 'lhe'glass then liteeonles a magnit'yingelasssueh, as watoh-malua's or one'rayors uso---ant.l, haying; the two tubes A and 13, may be adjusted to suit any eyes.

in Fig. I; is shown the ordinary watchmalzers elassflutyint' a single tube and glass mounted aeeording to my improyoment in a tirame, so as to be supported on the head of the person using the same.

I do not wish to oonlino mysell' to tho torm or oonstruotion ot the frame shown in the 1 drawings, as the uose-piooe and sidebars,

(l, which is formed ot' flexible steel or wire, i so as to readily yield in either direotiou, and so as not to 'intertert with the latter, and ex- 1 tained in tubes set'zured and mounted to a tendtoward each other, as shown in l ie'. L. ()n

the outer ends of these bars are right and left hand sel'ews 71, and over the ends ot the bars and eonntZ-eting the two together is the nut t. As will be understood lfrom the drawings, as this nut turned in onodireetion or tho other, the tubes A and .l are separz'lted or drawn together, the spring nosepieeo readily yielding to aeotnnmodate this movement ol the1 tubes, and thus the glasses may be readily adjusted at any distance from eaeh. other det sired to aeeommodate the eyes of various persons.

Instead of tho doyieo shown in l igrs. l7 and 2 to adjust the width of the glassesdhe nosopieee C may be hinged or t'orluetl with a pivot, l, as shown in Fig. El, by means otf whioh the tubes maybostinread apartorbrougrht together, as is desired.

plaeod in position on the head of tho latter, the glasses are adjusted or brought to the right, l'oeus by sliding or turning, the outer tubes, A, over theinner tubes, B, by the hands until. the eorreet teens is obtained .tfor both eyes. I prefer to ad just the glasses lor'eaeh eye separately, as itean be more eonven iont'ly The tubes haying been adjusted to suit the eyes ot. the speetator and substantially as and lor tho purposes set l). may be of any form desired or found suitable, and the glass may be supporttial by the nose alone, as in the ease otthe ordinary eyeglasses.

\Vhat l olaim as new is l. A binoeular glass having the lenses eont'rame, arranged and adapted to support the glass in front of the eyes by the head of the spcw'tatt'u', as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A bim'teular glass hayingthe lenses eontatnet'l in tubes secured and mounted to the frame (I 1), arranged and adapted to support the glass by the head ot the spootatt'u, as and For the purposes set tort h.

t). A binooular glass haying adjustable tubes eontainiug the lenses stjeourod and mounted on the tramo t l), arranged and atfla tted to support the glass by the head of the st'teotator, as and for the mrposes set forth.

-l-. A binoeular glass haying atfljustable tu'lteseonlaiuine' the lenses and provided with the bars 1'] and nut (l, soeured and mounted on the lrame 1), arranged and adapted to support the glass by the head otf tho srteetatm,

l'ol'tll.

Signed at New York, in the eounty of New York and State o|.' New York, this Illst day ol aeeolnplished by the hands when the glasses are in position on the head ot the st'toott'ttor.

J AMI'CS tiltflltts. \Vitnosses:

(HARLES IG. Jonssox, J os are (3. J Jan. 

